Left-Wing Discussion Thread II: Behind 700,000 Bunkers

[United Muscovite Nations]

Zoroastrianism, Neoplatonism, Judaism, Hinduism, for something which is supposed to be an "anomaly," monotheism has historically been widespread and seen in cultures which vastly differed from one another. Though that doesn't really alter UMN's original point that there is a Christian tradition which has been handed down for 2,000 years and modern liberalized Christians cannot claim to be a part of.

Hinduism is not monotheistic, neither is Neoplatonism. Not like Abrahamic monotheism. Zoroastrianism is much more dualistic than a purely monotheistic view so that's a bit of a stretch.

The idea that Hinduism is monotheistic is very mainstream among the Hindu priestly class, and the main Hindu schools of thought teach that all the gods are a manifestation of the One, Brahman. This is basic religious studies; a good primer on this is Huston Smith's The World's Religions/The Religions of Man section on Hinduism.

[Arashi Shoujo]

Hinduism is not monotheistic,

Hindu scholars and the Vedas themselves would disagree with you:

They call him Indra, Mitra, Varuṇa, Agni, and he is heavenly nobly-winged Garutmān.
To what is One, sages give many a title they call it Agni, Yama, Mātariśvan.

Not like Abrahamic monotheism. Zoroastrianism is much more dualistic than a purely monotheistic view so that's a bit of a stretch.

Zoroastrianism has always held Ahura Mazda to be superior to Angra Mainyu and destined to destroy him similar to God and the Devil in Christian belief. I have no idea why a lot of Westerners are so attracted to the idea of good and evil having equal standing and trying to read that into the religion.

The belief in one god that is "absolute", the "one", etc is not only found in some polytheistic traditions (for example, Ætsæg din and belief in Xwytsau; neopagan Baltic traditions), it also is not the same as an absolute statement like "There is one God, (who chose the Israelites at his people/whose son died to save our sins/and Muhammed is his prophet)". It does not deny the existence of other gods.

Christianity has not denied the existence of other spiritual beings besides God (angels, demons, etc.) that some would consider "gods." it merely believes that God is the source of these beings and that he alone deserves worship. It is equivalent to saying that Christianity is polytheist because it believes in three aspects of God (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost).

Most likely the monotheistic development in these religions came from the realization that polytheism was philosophically untenable. The same happened in Shinto with figures such as Hirata Atsutane developing a more monotheistic religion centered around Amenominakanushi no Kami.

Neoplatonism was a theistic philosophy centered around "the One," it inspired Christianity in many ways and was responsible for a lot of Christian philosophy.

It inspired Christian philosophy only through selective reading and misinterpretation. Neoplatonism was developed by and for pagan theology. During the last days of the pagan Roman Empire, it was neoplatonic pagans leading the (mostly literary) charge against Christianity, and Christians in opposition to Neoplatonism. The fact that Julian's Contra Galileos was so heavily criticized by later Christian theologians is evidence of is significance or influence in its own day. It took two hundred years for them to switch positions, only when they realized their movement had no coherent theology.

Neoplatonism had influenced Christianity a hundred years before Julian the Apostate was even born, with figures such as Origen of Alexandria being strongly influenced by Neoplatonism. So was Augustine of Hippo who lived around the same time as Julian, having originally been a Manichean in his youth. The Stoics also played a large role inspiring Christianity with their language and philosophy. There was never a unified "pagan" theology which Neoplatonism was made for.

Question, out of curiosity, why would someone who identifies as a "Dionysian" pagan sympathize with Neoplatonism? It had the same asceticism and other worldliness to it that Christianity did and Julian was constantly criticized for not being the decadent emperor that the people and (I assume) an admirer of Dionysus would want.

[Prussia-Steinbach]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSQgCy_iIcc
I am a former Leninist, which is why I stick around here occasionally.

I don't trust anyone who says "former marxist of whatever sort" but could not demonstrate direct familiarity with his economic writings to save their life
"marks of capital" ain't gonna cut it here, bruv.

Usually means that when they first discovered politics in middle school - as an awkward social outcast with an internet connection, time on their hands, and parents who were probably a bit too supportive - they thought Soviet marching songs were "cool," got daddy to buy them an ushanka, and enjoyed how much further their proclamation of "KARL MARX WAS THE BEST DICTATOR IN HISTORY AND I'M GOING TO GULAG YOU ALL BECAUSE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ME FOR I AM THE ELITE!!! YOU KNOW EINSTEIN WAS UNPOPULAR IN SCHOOL" pushed away any of their human peers that still for some reason dared to interact with them/exist in their general vicinity.

IME.

[Luminesa]

I don't trust anyone who says "former marxist of whatever sort" but could not demonstrate direct familiarity with his economic writings to save their life
"marks of capital" ain't gonna cut it here, bruv.

Usually means that when they first discovered politics in middle school - as an awkward social outcast with an internet connection, time on their hands, and parents who were probably a bit too supportive - they thought Soviet marching songs were "cool," got daddy to buy them an ushanka, and enjoyed how much further their proclamation of "KARL MARX WAS THE BEST DICTATOR IN HISTORY AND I'M GOING TO GULAG YOU ALL BECAUSE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ME FOR I AM THE ELITE!!! YOU KNOW EINSTEIN WAS UNPOPULAR IN SCHOOL" pushed away any of their human peers that still for some reason dared to interact with them/exist in their general vicinity.

IME.

...Einstein was actually cool, though...

[Arashi Shoujo]

Usually means that when they first discovered politics in middle school - as an awkward social outcast with an internet connection, time on their hands, and parents who were probably a bit too supportive - they thought Soviet marching songs were "cool," got daddy to buy them an ushanka, and enjoyed how much further their proclamation of "KARL MARX WAS THE BEST DICTATOR IN HISTORY AND I'M GOING TO GULAG YOU ALL BECAUSE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ME FOR I AM THE ELITE!!! YOU KNOW EINSTEIN WAS UNPOPULAR IN SCHOOL" pushed away any of their human peers that still for some reason dared to interact with them/exist in their general vicinity.

IME.

...Einstein was actually cool, though...

Bergson did nothing wrong.

[Victores]

Thought I'd accidently wandered into the Christian Discussion Thread, but I'll interject anyways because why not?

I do indeed have a giggle at those who claim Paganism is irrelevant due to it's size. It's largely a recent phenomena, so it's rise in numerical presence in the general populations of Europe and North America, with some countries seeing it become commonplace enough to bring back significant places of worship and temples to the Gods.

In fact, let's do a comparison. In 1990 the Religious Identification of the U.S. Adult Population was estimated at 8,000 Wiccans, with other groups being too small to even have been recorded, in 2001 the numbers of Pagans in the US adult population was estimated at 307,000, or over 38 times the recorded number 10 years ago.

It's this considerable growth rate that makes it significant. They may currently be small but they're expanding at such an extremely rapid rate they are outpacing the growth of any other religious group.

Paganism may not be the most significant force currently, but it is increasingly entering into the mainstream of religious and theological belief and the philosophical outlook of the general Western population. It's significant cultural and religious shift which marks a possible return to the historical norm of Polytheism in the long-term in this historical blip of monotheism, in terms of prevalent religions.

What do you mean? In Asia paganism has almost half a billion followers.

[Bakery Hill]

I don't trust anyone who says "former marxist of whatever sort" but could not demonstrate direct familiarity with his economic writings to save their life
"marks of capital" ain't gonna cut it here, bruv.

Usually means that when they first discovered politics in middle school - as an awkward social outcast with an internet connection, time on their hands, and parents who were probably a bit too supportive - they thought Soviet marching songs were "cool," got daddy to buy them an ushanka, and enjoyed how much further their proclamation of "KARL MARX WAS THE BEST DICTATOR IN HISTORY AND I'M GOING TO GULAG YOU ALL BECAUSE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ME FOR I AM THE ELITE!!! YOU KNOW EINSTEIN WAS UNPOPULAR IN SCHOOL" pushed away any of their human peers that still for some reason dared to interact with them/exist in their general vicinity.

IME.

Painfully real.

[The New Sea Territory]

Thought I'd accidently wandered into the Christian Discussion Thread, but I'll interject anyways because why not?

I do indeed have a giggle at those who claim Paganism is irrelevant due to it's size. It's largely a recent phenomena, so it's rise in numerical presence in the general populations of Europe and North America, with some countries seeing it become commonplace enough to bring back significant places of worship and temples to the Gods.

In fact, let's do a comparison. In 1990 the Religious Identification of the U.S. Adult Population was estimated at 8,000 Wiccans, with other groups being too small to even have been recorded, in 2001 the numbers of Pagans in the US adult population was estimated at 307,000, or over 38 times the recorded number 10 years ago.

It's this considerable growth rate that makes it significant. They may currently be small but they're expanding at such an extremely rapid rate they are outpacing the growth of any other religious group.

Paganism may not be the most significant force currently, but it is increasingly entering into the mainstream of religious and theological belief and the philosophical outlook of the general Western population. It's significant cultural and religious shift which marks a possible return to the historical norm of Polytheism in the long-term in this historical blip of monotheism, in terms of prevalent religions.

What do you mean? In Asia paganism has almost half a billion followers.

This brings up the whole etymological argument about what the word "pagan" means.

Usually, I say "paganism" refers to the religious practices displaced by Abrahamic religions. These are often polytheistic. So, I don't think Shinto is paganism because Christianity (luckily) never displaced it entirely, like Egyptian polytheism or belief in Xwytsau. Modern paganism, in nearly every part of the world except some rural areas of Siberia and the Caucasus, means a reconstruction of a fully displaced religion.

[Conscentia]

In the sense of both existing peacefully within the same society.

Like two parallel economies exist in the same space? That'd be hard, bordering on impossible.
But a single economic system that incorporates elements of both to varying degrees is certainly possible.

What? What elements of both? Modes of production are mutually exclusive. Socialism is a negation of capitalism - it abolishes those elements that define capitalism.

[Fascist Ideologies]

How can people support the communists?

They are a danger to themselves and others.

[Northern Davincia]

Usually means that when they first discovered politics in middle school - as an awkward social outcast with an internet connection, time on their hands, and parents who were probably a bit too supportive - they thought Soviet marching songs were "cool," got daddy to buy them an ushanka, and enjoyed how much further their proclamation of "KARL MARX WAS THE BEST DICTATOR IN HISTORY AND I'M GOING TO GULAG YOU ALL BECAUSE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ME FOR I AM THE ELITE!!! YOU KNOW EINSTEIN WAS UNPOPULAR IN SCHOOL" pushed away any of their human peers that still for some reason dared to interact with them/exist in their general vicinity.

IME.

Painfully real.

[Cedoria]

How can people support the communists?

They are a danger to themselves and others.

How can people support the National Socialists?

They are a danger to others, and themselves as well.

This is a left-wing thread, the door is that way, use it please:)

[Kubra]

I don't trust anyone who says "former marxist of whatever sort" but could not demonstrate direct familiarity with his economic writings to save their life
"marks of capital" ain't gonna cut it here, bruv.

Usually means that when they first discovered politics in middle school - as an awkward social outcast with an internet connection, time on their hands, and parents who were probably a bit too supportive - they thought Soviet marching songs were "cool," got daddy to buy them an ushanka, and enjoyed how much further their proclamation of "KARL MARX WAS THE BEST DICTATOR IN HISTORY AND I'M GOING TO GULAG YOU ALL BECAUSE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ME FOR I AM THE ELITE!!! YOU KNOW EINSTEIN WAS UNPOPULAR IN SCHOOL" pushed away any of their human peers that still for some reason dared to interact with them/exist in their general vicinity.

IME.

s-stop it!
At least I didn't like soviet marching songs!

[United Muscovite Nations]

what do i do if a nazbol gang is trying to extort me for protection money

[Arashi Shoujo]

what do i do if a nazbol gang is trying to extort me for protection money

Tell them you're a proud Hyperborean celestial warrior from Atlantis who don't need no protection racket.

[Reatra]

wtf this poll tho

[Post-Party Depression]

How can people support the communists?

They are a danger to themselves and others.

Are you going to elaborate how?

[Mattopilos II]

How can people support the communists?

They are a danger to themselves and others.

Are you going to elaborate how?

That would require an argument.

[Torrocca]

How can people support the communists?

They are a danger to themselves and others.

Because they didn't, unlike Nazis, start a six year long war that, in that span of time, killed seventy million people, of whom eleven million were systematically genocided, and then end up losing that war.

[Post-Party Depression]

Are you going to elaborate how?

That would require an argument.

That's true.

[Victores]

How can people support the communists?

They are a danger to themselves and others.

The Gulag train is that way.

[Victoriala II]

How can people support the communists?

They are a danger to themselves and others.

idk, how can people support fascists?

[Arcturus Novus]

How can people support the communists?

They are a danger to themselves and others.

That's rich, coming from a fucking Nazi.

[Arashi Shoujo]

How can people support the communists?

They are a danger to themselves and others.

Their system tends to be more durable than "do what leader says."

[Post-Party Depression]

How can people support the communists?

They are a danger to themselves and others.

Their system tends to be more durable than "do what leader says."

Also has a tendency to win a war that the so-called "master race" starts against them :^).

though the USSR technically wasn't communist please don't kill me